Through a woman's eye
by SugarSnaps037
Summary: Some serious brotherly fluff here. This is just a couple of oneshots that show us how three women in Don's life, Kim, Robin, and Liz view the Eppes brothers.
1. Kim

**Disclaimer: unfortunately I in no way own Numb3rs and am making no profit off of this. If I did, I definitely wouldn't be living in a two bedroom apartment with 4 people, a dog, and a turtle. Can you say cramped.**

**Okay so I've been holding onto to this for a while. Ending it was tough for some reason. Anyway, this is just a series of oneshots of how three different women in Don's life have viewed the brothers. Tons of brotherly fluff here. Enjoy. And don't be afraid to review, the button won't bite.**

Kim

The whole thing felt like such a sham. I understood, I really did. Don's mom was sick and he had to go back to L.A. to see her. I got it. It was perfectly reasonable. No, what really gets me is that he never came back.

We kept somewhat in touch and I knew that his mother had passed. He needed time, I knew that, but I was willing to wait. I really thought we had something special. Of course, after a while we stopped calling each other and seeing him sow, fully engrossed in his team it was clear that he never had any intention to come back. It really just boils my nerves. A mother's death would have hurt anyone no matter what the age, but wouldn't that make a person want to hold onto the relationships they had left for as long as they could? It seems like Don just wants to retreat into work. He's just so…so…

"Look out!"

The scream came out of nowhere ripping me from my thoughts. I whipped my head around completely ready for anything that came my way but what I saw still managed to surprise me.

Lying in a heap just a few feet from the door to the FBI building was Charlie, Charlie's bike, and a young agent I seem to remember as Browen. Browen was spouting an insane amount of apologies. It appears that he managed to trip over his own two feet only to land right in the path of the unsuspecting math professor. I'd consider going over to help but if my instincts are correct that won't be necessary.

"Charlie are you alright?" as if on cue Don came running over to the pile of limbs and bike tires completely ignoring the agent he had just been talking to.(to his credit the agent didn't even bat an eye at the brash treatment) Don hefted the bike off of Charlie and moved him into a sitting position.

"I'm fine Don. I think I just scraped my knee," replied Charlie in an attempt to reassure his brother while pulling up his pant leg.

From what I can see it doesn't look too bad. A simple band aid would do the trick but apparently that didn't satisfy and overzealous big brother. "That's a decent sized cut, buddy. We should clean it before it gets infected," he was saying, "Browen, get the first aid kit from the front desk." His last sentence was clipped and the death glare aimed at Browen definitely had to be the reason the poor agent took off at almost a dead run.

No doubt Browen was shaking in his boots but to me it just seemed sweet. Don was known for having a strong protective streak and it seems that it extends to his little brother too. Funny, whenever he mentioned Charlie back in Albuquerque it was always something to the effect of "pain in the but little genius who always got all the attention." His words, not mine.

"Just sit still Charlie." Ah, found the pain in the but part.

"No!" Charlie protested, "you're gonna put that stupid stuff that stings on it."

Don smiled that disarming smile of his, "Yes I am," he said, "and it's not stupid. It helps. What are you doing here anyway? We don't have a case for you yet."

Charlie ducked his head and wore a sheepish smile, "Well I was between classes and I knew you were between cases so I, I figured we could have lunch."

"Oh," Don honestly looked stunned. It was rare that anyone or anything could throw him off like that.

"Of course if you're busy with case files and stuff…" Charlie quickly added after Don's silence drew on.

"No, no… just let me check in with my team and we'll get going," said Don.

Wait a minute. Did Don just say he would leave work? Before his shift is over? That was a near impossibility in Albuquerque. For a moment the keen sting of jealousy hit me like a tidal wave, but just as soon as it came it was gone. The look on Don's face when he rushed to accept Charlie's offer was almost desperate. It's as if he had been longing to hear those words but was afraid that if he didn't act quickly it would be nothing but a dream. Maybe he was clinging to some relationships a little harder now. One way or another ours just didn't make the cut. Looking at him though, I think I'm okay with that.


	2. Robin

Robin

Why did breaking up have to be so hard? It's not like were kids anymore. It's not as if I've never broken up with a guy before or had a guy break up with me for that matter. He's just so… breakable. On the outside Don was as tough as nails, particularly at work, but on the inside, well… that's a different story altogether.

I've been mulling these thoughts over and over in my head while I was pretty much doing laps around the FBI building. It isn't like I'm avoiding Don or anything… okay maybe I am. I just haven't quite figured out how to – "Uh oh," I whisper I manage to duck behind a pillar. I was just about to walk the crosswalk between buildings but as luck would have it, none other than Don Eppes was sitting on a bench directly in my path.

Alright, so I am a total chicken, but what am I supposed to do? I couldn't break up with him here, not in such a public place. Besides, the despondent look on his face tells me that he's already had a rough day as it is. Breaking up with him now would just be cruel.

Of course this leaves me with a problem. I'm stuck. I actually had business on the other side. Maybe if I could just … "Hey," the call came from the left. I look over to Charles Eppes walking over to his big brother. _Yes! _I give a mental shout as I realize that I'm saved by the younger Eppes. While Don's distracted I'll just sneak by.

"What's up?" says Charlie as he sits next to his brother.

"Well, you know." Don replies.

Charlie gazed at his brother with sympathetic eyes, "Yeah I know," he says "and it wasn't your fault."

"They were KIDS!" Don explodes, "sorry," he added after the yell elicited an involuntary wince from Charlie. "I know it wasn't my fault," he says in a calmer tone "but it still … hurts."

Hanging his head low Charlie let out a soft sigh, "Yeah," he agrees. Then, "Hey why don't you come over for dinner tonight?" He kept his voice casual but his face reflected the tentative hope Charlie clung to for the answer.

For his part Don looked as though he was seriously considering the request but even I knew that he liked to be alone when things took a bad turn. Unlike Charlie I held no allusion that the answer was going to be anything but no.

"You know, I'm kinda tired buddy. Maybe tomorrow."

Poor Charlie. His whole posture fell. It was obvious that he definitely wanted to help his brother, but I guess he didn't know how to do it any more than I did. Suddenly, Charlie perked up like he had been struck by the most brilliant idea in the world. "Dad bought a pot roast," he crooned.

That made Don's eyebrows rise, "A pot roast, you say?"

"Yup," Charlie grinned.

"Well…" Don drawled, "I guess I can get some shut eye at your place."

That was good enough for Charlie "Great!" he said as he stood and offered a hand to the elder Eppes.

Don took the hand and got to his feet, "Alright, alright," he said trying to brush off Charlie's enthusiasm. They began to move across the walk when Don hesitated a moment. "Wait a second," he said, "isn't dad visiting a friend tonight?"

Charlie sucked in a breath. _Ah busted _I thought. "Well I never said he was going to cook it, I just said that he bought one. And you already said yes so you can't back out of it."

With of face of mock shock Don gaped openly at Charlie, "I can't believe this," he said, "swindled by my own brother."

"Hey I wouldn't call it swindled," Charlie protested, "Besides, we'll have pizza and watch a movie. It'll be fun."

"Fine, but I pick the movie," Don retorted.

"Oh no. not another baseball movie." The banter continued as they walked off. I blinked my eyes a couple times as if I was being suddenly drawn out of a trance. I had been so engrossed in the pair that I hadn't even taken a step from the pillar. I looked around self-consciously wondering if I had been getting funny looks. Oh let them stare. The rare quiet moment I had just seen between the two brothers was worth people thinking I was weird.

Stepping out from behind the pillar I started walking toward my original destination while I pondered what had just happened. Don had a tendency to stand on his own and he rarely let anyone break that barrier. Not even me. After watching that sweet conversation though, it seems like Charlie has managed to pop a whole in Don's armor, even if it's just a small one. That's good. Don may be easy to break in certain places but at least he has someone to hold the pieces in place. He'll be alright.


	3. Liz

Liz

It was amazing. The entire time Don had trained me at Quantico not once did he mention a brother. Most other men would have at least slipped at some point, particularly seeing as how they seem so close.

I can see them now over by Don's desk. Don himself was lounging back in his chair while Charlie sat perched on the corner of the desk. It had been obvious since the day she met the young professor that he enjoyed talking with his hands, especially when he was teaching. Apparently his student today was Don because Charlie's hands were in full swing; literally.

I remember Don saying that they were in a so called "bad way" back then but looking at them now, that seems pretty much impossible. I mean, take the way Charlie lights up every time his brother gets what he's saying. It's as if the words have absolutely no meaning if his brother didn't understand them.

Then of course there's Don, giving his complete and devoted attention over to the wildly enthusiastic professor. When we were at Quantico I always noticed how his eyes tended to move when he was talking with someone. They were always darting from side to side, up and down, always checking his surroundings. I always assumed it was just something any good agent would do but watching him now though makes me think there might be something more to it.

You see, right now those big brown beautiful orbs of his are focused solely on Charlie. They never stray, they don't even glance to the left or right but rather remain fixated on Charlie. So intent and concentrated but he is still completely aware of what's around him, maybe even more so. Right now, for instance, he's gently tugging an animated Charlie out of the way of a mail cart long before it reaches their cubical. Undeterred the math professor didn't even pause for a millisecond.

It was kind of cute, really. A completely different side to Don that I never even knew existed. I admit I was attracted to Don when he was my trainer (who wouldn't be, right) but he was always such a lone wolf. I figured he'd be good for a fling here or there but not one you could settle down with. This new family man Eppes, though, I don't know. Maybe there's something worth sticking around for after all.

**Thank you for reading!**

**Hope you all enjoyed it.**


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